The present invention relates generally to a mechanism for mounting buckets with respect to a surface. More particularly, the present invention relates to a bucket mounting mechanism for removably mounting cylindrically-shaped buckets with respect to a vertically-disposed wall.
In recent years, it has become common to use buckets for storage because buckets provide a discrete location for storing various objects while allowing the objects to be readily transported, such as when the objects are moved to a location where the objects will be used. The storage buckets typically have capacities of between 1 and 5 gallons and contain a handle that allow the buckets to be readily carried.
One industry where 5 gallon buckets are predominately used is painting contractors. The painting contractors typically acquire large numbers of buckets because paint is commonly packaged in 5 gallon buckets. Rather than purchasing other storage containers for holding painting tools and supplies, painting contractors typically use the 5 gallon buckets for storing the tools and supplies.
The 5 gallon buckets typically have a diameter of approximately 12 inches and a height of approximately 18 inches. The dimensions make the 5 gallon buckets sufficiently large to hold a relatively large amount of tools and supplies. However, the size of 5 gallon buckets limits the amount of tools and supplies that can be placed in the bucket so that the bucket can be carried when filled with tools and supplies.
The popularity of using 5 gallon buckets for storing tools and supplies is further evidenced by the introduction of products that are designed to be used with 5 gallon buckets to increase the utility of 5 gallon buckets. These products include tool holders that hang over the outside of the buckets and seat cushions that fit over the top of the buckets.
In spite of the foregoing uses for buckets, the potential utility of buckets in general, and 5 gallon buckets in particular, is limited by the fact that there has been no apparatus for efficiently storing buckets in an organized configuration. Buckets are typically placed in a vertically oriented manner to maximize the amount of material that may be stored in the buckets. A drawback of this orientation is that it precludes stacking buckets on top of each other because the tools and supplies in the lower level buckets would be inaccessible.
Alternatively, buckets are placed in a horizontally oriented manner, which allows tools and supplies stored in all of the buckets to be easily accessed. A drawback of this orientation is that horizontally oriented buckets allow tools and supplies placed in the buckets to fall out of the buckets. This orientation also precludes removing one of the lower level buckets without disrupting the orientation of higher level buckets.